Stories from the far North
by AlmightyLudmilla
Summary: Short stories involving Norway and the Netherlands, describing their relationship. Other characters are being used at times. This story used to be 'The boyfriend and the tree' but due to additional chapters it has a new title.
1. The boyfriend and the tree

/Author's Note/

Hi there readers! This is a fast and short one-shot I made especially for smoking-tulips' birthday. Congrats and I hope you like your present :3

It's a NetherlandsxNorway fic where they are +/- 25 years old.

Disclaimer: if I would own Hetalia, would I then put it here as being 'fanfiction'?

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Maarten looked up from his book and looked on his watch. It was almost three in the afternoon, how long had he been reading? He didn't know anymore but it must have been at least an hour or so. Thinking about it, where was Søren? His norwegian boyfriend had walked out of the backdoor into their yard some time during the hour in which he read five chapters from one of Mulisch' books. Now that Mulisch was dead his works had become famous and he had to keep up with his culture after all. He remembered that the last thing Søren said was 'I'm going outside', a quite straightforward comment since he was already halfway the backdoor. It didn't bother Maarten much when reading, but he was now wondering what occupied Søren so much to make him stay outside for at least 45 minutes in the cold weather.

Maarten went outside, through the backdoor. He shivered when he felt the wind blow in his neck and through his sweater. Søren must have a damn good reason to stay here outside for so long. He looked around, no sight of a Norwegian boy hopping anywhere in the big garden. He walked past the well-cared lawn and into the forest. It was Søren's wish to live in a forest, he said it was better 'to stay in contact with the spirits around him'. Maarten liked the forest, it was quiet and he had no annoying noises here. However, being used to noise and lots of people in a tight space made him go back to the big cities every once in a while to stay updated about the things that happened elsewhere in Europe. Søren didn't really care about the rest of Europe, but since Maarten was one of the founding fathers of the European Union he had to show up at meetings and formal gatherings. And it was good for him, it made him feel alive and essential in this world and all the stress in the cities made him feel eager to go back into the forest, where his boyfriend was waiting for him.

When he entered said forest he realized that the wind roared not even half as hard through the forest than on the lawns. Søren had chosen a good place to hide.

After 5 minutes walking he felt something fall on his head. 'Ow!' he screamed and rubbed his head. Maarten looked up and sighed. His sight was by his norwegian boyfriend sitting in the tree, chewing on a twig.

'Why are you up in a tree, hunny? What is it this time?'

The reply he got was a vicious grin that didn't explain anything about why Søren decided to climb a tree. He would have strange actions like these al the time, suddenly disappearing and ending up somewhere else. Usually he would show up by himself again, a few hours later. Maarten had quickly learned himself not to question his actions. At least, not most of the time. The fact that Søren was now sitting up in a tree just out of his reach with a playful grin on his face was something different. It was clear that he would not get out of there any time soon.

Søren moved a bit on the bough he was sitting on. Maarten eased himself with the thought that Søren would at least not break the bough with his weight, the slim man was smart enough to pick one that could easily carry both their weights.

'Come out of there, it's getting cold.'

Sørens grin grew wider. 'You hug trees, I climb them.'

'Not when being sober, you know that. I'm going to make tea, I'll see you around when you decided that I am more interesting as company than the tree.' Maarten started to walk away from the tree, heading to the backdoor.

'Mauw.'

Maarten turned around. 'What?'

Søren let his head hang so that it touched the bark of the tree. 'Mauw.'

His grin made place for an almost innocent look.

Maarten facepalmed himself and sighed again. 'Søren, what...?'

There was the grin again. 'I am a lost little kitten that climbed up the tree. You have to come up and save me.'

Maarten had to admit that the sight of his boyfriend sitting in a tree, mewling and scratching with his nails against the bark was somewhat, well...tempting. He knew that Søren was calling on his protective side. He always had a weak spot for overprotecting the people he loved. This did not only explain his behavior towards Spain when his little sister was around, but also why he fell for the independent, yet tender and easily breakable man. Well, breakable when it came to physical matters, Søren was not stupid and most of the time he didn't need his protection. However, he would use Maarten's urge to protect him for other matters, like turning him on when sitting high up in a tree.

Maarten decided that the best option might be to play along. 'You want me to come and get you?' He crossed his arms and stared defiantly at the smaller man. 'Wait until I get up there to drag you out of that tree. I'll slam you against the wood and fuck you into next week.' His plan seemed to work, he hadn't missed the brief glance in Søren's eyes when he had said 'fuck you into next week'. So that was what he was after.

Søren started to purr and dug his nails deeper into the wood. 'Come and get me, big boy.'

At this comment Maarten looked at the tree to see how Søren had managed to climb it. He saw several boughs he could use to climb the tree, but he wasn't sure if it could handle his weight. He needed to come up with another plan.

Maarten placed himself right under Søren. 'Can I at least have a kiss before I come and get you?'

'Isn't the point of getting me that you get your kiss afterwards?', Søren asked, somewhat confused.

'Yes, but have I ever followed the rules precisely?' Maarten stood on his toes to make himself larger, putting on his best puppy eyes. Søren looked at him confused for a few seconds but then tried to rebalance himself so he could lean downwards. 'It's the puppy eyes that made me do it.' Maarten smiled, knowing that his plan was working.

Søren had his hands placed on a broad range on the bough to hold his balance. When he was low enough to almost reach him, Maarten reached up again to meet him in the kiss. He knew it was now or never. He broke away from the kiss and placed his hand up under Søren's armpits, dragging him in one swift movement out of the tree. 'Gah!' Søren screamed, not expecting Maarten's next step. Due to the sudden weight on his arms he almost let the smaller man drop out of his hands, but he managed to place him on the ground safely. Søren stood there for a second, not fully realizing what had happened. When he did, he put on a pout on his face and said "Naahhww! I hoped you would come and get me!'

'I did come and get you, but in my own style. I said I never fully follow the rules.' Maarten laughed, being secretly proud of himself that he outsmarted the Norwegian. That doesn't happen very often.

'But you said you would drag me up here and fuck me against the wood!' Søren's pout made place for a seductive grin. Maarten wouldn't fall for that, he said to himself. At least, not yet. He placed his hands at his boyfriend's waist again and put him over his right shoulder, caressing the Norwegians ass. He slowly started walking out of the forest, in the direction of their house. It was such a pity that Søren couldn't see the victorious grin on his face.

'I still am going to fuck you against the wood, don't worry about that. It's just that with wood, I meant the hardwood table in the kitchen.'


	2. The boyfriend and his bicycling

/Author's note/

So, this story was said to be completed, and it was. Until the unfamous plot bunnies started to ambush and haunting me for several days until I finally gave in and finished another story. I could have uploaded it as a different story but I decided to alter the title of the first one and make it a seperate chapter. The plot bunnies are still haunting me with more ideas so maybe this might end up to be a bigger project than I originally thought it would be. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

All the character are still of the same age as the previous chapter. I added some new characters:

Mathias: Denmark, Berwald: Sweden.

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Søren looked outside the kitchen window seeing Maarten stepping off his bike and parking it near the others. They had multiple bikes, of which Maarten owned most of them. Søren actually never used his bike, he even drove to the supermarket only 4 kilometers away to get a few groceries. Maarten would always look askance when Søren did this, he said it was bad for the environment and himself. 'Get off your lazy ass and do some workout', was what he would say then.

They once had a discussion a few months ago about whether to bike in this country or not, resulting in an annoyed Maarten refusing to get out of the garden and into the house for the rest of the day. The garden looked completely renewed at the end of the day. Not that Søren minded, he was a bit absorbed by the idea that he could either kill himself on the foolish quest to bike up a mountain or help destroying his precious nature by riding by car. He didn't like both options, and facing the guy who was the source of this confusion wouldn't make have made mood any better. In the evening he had decided to go to bed alone, but wasn't able to get any sleep before he heard his boyfriend silently sneak into the room and climb in bed. He smelled a bit like dirt and grass, but Søren still clinged onto him and when he felt two strong arms surround him, he knew it was all better again.

But, back to the here and now, Søren reminded himself and shook his head. He saw Maarten's grumpy face and immediately knew that there was something completely wrong. His face looked even more annoyed than when he kept an eye on Antonio to protect his precious little sister. Søren was very sure that if Berwald and Maarten would have a staring contest they would sit in front of each other for a small eternity, while the rest of the world could only cry and wonder if this was the end of the world. When in a bad mood, both guys had a stare that would make unicorns commit suicide. The force with which he almost threw his bike next to the rest only confirmed this, Maarten was in a bad mood and he would not get out of it any time soon. Søren had learned what to do in this kind of situations, he would back off to somewhere and occupy himself with something neutral, like reading a book. When Maarten shows up, Søren shows a little bit of interest, but not too much. He would keep the conversation neutral, and this way give Maarten the opportunity to vent his annoyance through a furious monologue of what bothered him.

Maarten was now halfway the path to the front door and Søren decided that his shelter would be the kitchen. It was about time that someone made dinner anyway so then he had an alibi to stay there. He heard Maarten fiddling with the keys and open the door, only to close it with just a bit too much force. He went into the kitchen and looked around, still with the grumpy face.

'Hello', he said with a low voice.

'Hi my dear', was Søren's response.

Maarten didn't lean forward to give him a kiss on the top of his head, as he always would. Not when he had a mood like this. Søren laid both his hands on the kitchen's worktop and gave Maarten his best neutral stare. It was now up to Maarten to take the next step.

'I am not going to depress you with my blooming presence, I think it might be better if I don't interact with anybody for a while now.'

You could say anything about Maarten, but he did have enough self knowledge.

Søren heard him hanging his coat on the peg, then entering the living room and placing himself on the sofa close to the window. It was the more comfortable sofa out of the two they owned. Suddenly he felt a pang of longing inside him. He wanted to lean with his back against Maarten's chest and watch the rain falling softly on the neatly cutted grass. From the outside Søren could look as dull as a plain white wall, but he was actually a bit of a hopeless romantic at times. He just didn't show it too often because he didn't want to show any vulnerability to the outside world. He did show it to Maarten however, and these emotions would usually be welcomed with open arms. Not today, Søren knew, and therefore he stayed in the kitchen for a few more minutes, not actually doing anything besides keeping himself busy with moving pots and pans around. At some point he knew it was time to go to the living room and face Maarten and his moodiness, otherwise he would seem uninterested in him. 'Do you want coffee?', he asked.

A grunt was what Søren received as an answer. He knew this meant: 'Yes please, I'd love to.' Being the silent one himself he knew how to interpretate slight changes in face expression and low grunts better than anyone else. Besides, he was the one who grown up with Berwald, whom made this social skill an important requirement. It was pure logic that the intimidating man had always had a better relationship with the Norwegian than Matthias, the Dane. Matthias had never really mastered sensing slight changes in mood and atmosphere.

When the coffee was ready, Søren went into the living room, and placed himself on the other side of the sofa while putting the slightly oversized mugs on the table nearby. Both had a great passion in consuming large amounts of coffee at a time. They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking coffee and staring out of the window.

'So what happened to you today, to make you like this? Søren had decided that he needed to push his boyfriend a bit over the edge to make him speak. Whether it made the Dutchman more upset or not, he needed to vent his moodiness, otherwise he would stay like this for hours.

'Your roads are bicycle unfriendly. And so are your people, maybe your people even more.'

Søren decided not to react defensively on this comment. After all, maybe he deserved it a little for making his first remark. 'What made you reach this conclusion?', he asked after taking another sip of his coffee.

'Well, today I wanted to bike back from work, as I usually do. So I did, but it was raining and the wind was blowing incredibly hard, which was already annoying enough on itself. However, on the way home I've been almost falling off my bike for three times today. The wind is a lot stronger once you get up a mountain and can suddenly throw you aside with an incredible force. I almost fell on the road and then maybe the cars wouldn't have stopped. Because apparently, I can be 2 meters tall but they still don't see me.' He furrowed his brows in annoyance and looked outside, as if he was blaming the rain for all of his misery.

'They don't see you? What do you mean?' Søren was quite curious now, this enormous guy was not someone you would miss easily. Not even when the sky was almost dark like now.

Maarten looked back at Søren and pointed at his trousers. His trousers were wet unto above his knees.

'When I was almost home, I had to make a turn near the old church and so I was waiting there for the cars to pass by. A car decided that I was still too dry and drove with high speed through the puddle of water next to me. The water reached until at least a meter, making me completely wet to that point. Asshole, he could have made a smaller turn but no...' Again Maarten stared outside with a bitter face. 'If you would have bicycle paths, I wouldn't have been so bad, but I always have to drive on the main road on these dark streets here, it's not only annoying but quite dangerous too.' Maarten took another sip of his coffee, allowing Søren to respond.

'My dear, you should always keep in mind that you come from a very bicycle friendly country. It is not the norm to have bicycle paths near every road, you need to get used to that.' Maarten grunted.

'And that is not all of it! All those mountains I had to bike in the rain! Those make the wind tuck on my coat and throw the rain in my face! Why in the world did you decided to place all those damn mountains here? They are annoying and stand in the way of everything!' Maarten ended his sentence with a slight pout on his face.

That was the last straw that broke something inside of Søren. He placed his mug on the table, crawled towards Maarten and placed himself on his lap. He kissed his throat and chuckled softly when he saw Maarten's shocked face because of the sudden change of attitude in Søren. Maarten had given up understanding this guy long ago, but behaving so out of character was something he rarely did.

'Uh, Søren, what is this?' Maarten still had the shocked features on his face. Søren laid his head on Maarten's chest and made himself comfortable between the Dutchman and the sofa. 'Did you know how adorable you can be at times?', Søren explained. Maarten's shocked face made place for his annoyed one again. 'Søren, don't play with me now. I am not adorable, I am annoyed.'

'Then don't say such adorable things, you know just as I do that the mountains are a lot older than I am.'

Maarten huffed. 'Of course I know that! You didn't think I was serious, right? I simply find them annoying.' Søren grabbed his left hand and hid it somewhere between his own and he was now having a playful grin on his face. 'Maybe you simply find every difference of height that is more than 3 meters a bit too intimidating. You don't let yourself shoo away by such little hills, do you?', he gave Maarten a soft push on his shoulder. Maarten looked at him, not being amused. Søren was trying to mock him and get a certain reaction, but Maarten wouldn't bite. He snorted and looked back outside.

When Søren noticed that Maarten was not in the mood for playing, he tried something else. He wrapped both his arms around Maarten's chest and held him close. He laid his head on Maarten's right shoulder and hid his nose behind his ear, faintly tickling the soft skin. This seemed to be working better, since Maarten's hands were laid on his waist and back. The Dutchman let out a soft sound that was somewhere between a huff, a sigh and a moan. He turned his head as far as he could and kissed Søren on his jawline. 'Are you feeling better already?', Søren asked, and Maarten hummed in reply. They sat like this for a few minutes and listened to the wind and rain roaring over the grass outside.

'Your coffee is getting cold.'

Maarten used his left arm to grab the mug from the table, feeling with the two smallest finger on the bottom. Apparently the mug wasn't so hot anymore, because he took a sip and used Søren's shoulder as a make-shift table to lean his mug on. Søren tried to grab the mug with his right hand but failed. He gave Maarten a pleading face who gave him the cup, earning the rest of his coffee. He placed the cup back again and sighed.

'I don't really hate your mountains. They are actually pretty awesome, but they kind of stand in the way between me and my bicycle.' Maarten said with a low voice.

'I love you too, my dear', Søren replied, and he buried his nose behind Maarten's ear again.


	3. The boyfriend and his dress Part 1

/Author's Note/

Hi there, it's me again :3

Princess of preposterous: seemed like you did indeed some good to the plotbunnies, they kept attacking me to the point that there was one constantly sitting on the top of my head slamming on it until I started writing.

This story is parted in two different chapters, since I think they have a different feeling and makeup. As you can see the whole story will be longer than usual so here is part one while I am working on part two. This might take some time since I am going to go traveling in January and I am not sure if I can finish it before with the busy days in the end of December, but here you have at least part one. Enjoy!

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'Let me see.'

Søren gave him the picture, it was a photo of him at the age of around 5 years, wrapped tightly in the winter clothing his mom had picked out for him. He was standing next to the life-size snowman he had made. His face was expressionless, as it would always be, giving him his trademark instant bored look.

'You don't look very proud of your snowman.' Maarten noted, his left eyebrow slightly furrowed.

'I was actually quite proud of it, but by then I was even worse at showing emotions than I am now.'

'Maybe you are still just as bad at showing emotions but with your current age it is more accepted to have a constant bored look.' Maarten grabbed Søren by his hips and pulled him on his lap, kissing him on his right temple to show Søren that he was only teasing him.

Maarten had found a box in one of the many dark corners Søren reserved to place mysterious stuff and never to touch again. Sometimes Maarten would encounter these mysterious goods when he was looking for something specific, as he had now. He needed to renew his passport when he was back in the Netherlands and he was sure he had left some photos anywhere in these closets. Or maybe he left them at his small apartment in Amsterdam. He didn't know anymore and he had forgotten about it quickly at the moment he discovered what was in the box. He was being greeted by a childhood picture or Søren in elementary school, one of the annual pictures. It was funny to see that Søren hadn't changed much over the years. Now, 30 minutes later, they were both sitting on the thick carpet of their bedroom leaning against the bed, looking at younger versions of Søren. For Maarten this was a whole new experience and it taught him a lot about his boyfriend, who had never talked much about his childhood years.

While Maarten was still looking at the younger version of Søren and his snowman, Søren took another photo out of the box. Maarten looked up and saw him with a mixture between a shameful and a sentimental look on his face. He wondered what was on the picture. His first love, or a long lost friend maybe? Since Søren was still sitting on his lap, he could glance over his shoulder to see the picture. What he saw was in no way what he had expected to see. It was an old picture where Søren must have been around 8 years of age, standing in a bedroom. The person who made the pic was standing in what would have been the hallway because you could see a part of the bedroom door. The person who made the photo had probably caught him red handed because the younger version of Søren looked in the camera with a shocked face, hiding his body behind his arms and he had his legs crossed. This was probably because he was wearing a dress, that looked like it belonged to someone years older and bigger than him.

Maarten looked at the picture for a few seconds, before Søren looked up, glancing at him with a face like a kid that was found with his hand in the cookie jar. Maarten glanced away, looking at the ground because he didn't know how to react on this situation.

For a little while they were sitting there, both not knowing how to react which made the situation more awkward every second it lasted.

'When eh, when I was young I liked to put on my mom's dresses to make myself look older. Since I had no father I had to take my mother's clothing.' Søren said it so nervous and fast that Maarten instantly knew he was lying. Søren had a good pokerface but Maarten knew him longer than a day now. 'You don't have to explain yourself.' he said, while taking his left hand in his own.

'But I want you to know I am not crazy! I only wanted to look older!' 'I am not a tranny!'

The tone of Søren's voice was a little higher and Maarten saw some panic in his eyes, This must be a sensitive subject for him, to still make him overreact like this. These feelings probably came from somewhere hidden in corners of his mind that were way more dark and dusty than the corner in which he had found the box. It would be better to react as neutral and supporting as possible, Maarten thought. He slowly kissed him.

'Søren, I don't think you are crazy, and neither that you are a tranny. And if you were, I'd still love you.'

Søren looked him in the eyes, he looked a bit more relaxed now. 'You would?'

'I think I would love you even more.' Maarten replied with a little smile, 'It fits with your body and it would make you more...' He hesitated, not knowing how to describe it, 'Mysterious, or special, I think. I won't leave you for walking around in a dress and putting on high heels'. Though, he had to admit that he would find the thought of Søren putting on high heels or make-up a bit strange, but maybe this was not the moment to talk about that, so he kept the thought for himself.

Søren looked at the picture with a slightly disturbed look on his face. 'It is not about high heels, or being a woman. Hell, then I would even be curling my hair or wearing make-up.'

Maarten looked up. Had his thoughts been so clear or was Søren secretly psychic? He made a mental note never to think about any kind of indecent things when being around him anymore. That was going to be a challenge.

'But then what is it?', Maarten asked. If he didn't do it to be feminine, then why?

Søren crawled from his lap and sat himself down next to him. He leaned with his shoulder onto Maarten's.

'I always craved for a certain elegance. And I found it in wearing dresses. I don't really know why, walking around in them simply makes me feel free. Sometimes I thought it was weird but it always made me feel like I had wings or something. But since a long time I don't wear them anymore, it's probably one of those weird characteristics of me. He sighed and let his head hang.

Maarten putted his right arm on Søren's shoulder, tugging him closer. 'I don't think you are weird for wearing dresses.'

'But others do.'

Maarten looked back on the picture. 'You don't have to show it to everybody, you can keep it for yourself.'

Søren sighed again and buried his face in Maarten's shoulder. 'No I can't, I never could and even now you know it. And others do mind it a lot more than you. I should be happy that you are not laughing at me, you have all the reasons for it.'

Maarten grunted and grabbed Søren's hair from behind. He gave a light pull and Søren's face was visible again.

'Søren, why would I be laughing at this for you? It's too personal to laugh about.'

'Hmpf, ask Matthias about that, he knows why it's funny.' Søren looked away and bowed his head so his hair was free again.

Maarten thought about that for a second. Matthias was one of Søren's best friends, since childhood. He remembered Søren sometimes talking about it. They and their mutual friend, Berwald, would always play viking and try to conquer the world, also known as the backyard. While Søren and Berwald were more quiet persons, Matthias was loud and even obnoxious at times. Matthias was a real masculine man, he could hold his liquor very well, due to intense and continuous training, he flirted with lots of women and he probably also farted in bed. He was a pig farmer now and lived somewhere on the countryside of Denmark. Maarten could easily imagine that Matthias would not take men in dresses very well, though he usually was quite open to 'modern trends' like same-sex marriage.

'May I ask you what happened?' Maarten didn't expect a real answer, but he could always try.

Søren straightened his back and to Maarten's surprise, he started to talk.

It was not long after this photo. My mom made that one, she said it looked cute on my and would even help me putting them on. She didn't care that I was walking around the house in her dresses, though I didn't want her to buy dresses in my own size. That went a bit too far for me. But once I was walking around the house and made the mistake to forget I was wearing it. Matthias would come around to play and I opened the door when he rang the bell.'

Søren rubbed his eyes and suddenly looked tired. He took a breath and waited a second before he started to talk, as if he was doubting whether to tell some details or not.

'He was laughing for, I think, 5 minutes or so.'

Søren looked up and the pout on his face made Maarten feel a sting through his heart. It must have been tough for him to be treated like that. He gave him an understand smile and rubbed his back. Søren smiled back, resting his head on Maarten's shoulder again.

'The next day Berwald came to my house. He told me that he didn't care what Matthias said, and that he still liked me. I think he has something with others in dresses, he always buys dresses for Tina too. But anyway, I was thankful for that. I was going to need it for the next days on school. Matthias told it to everyone he met in the days following. Most people didn't really care or already thought I was a freak, so it didn't change much. Still, he teased me for weeks with it. That was the last time I have ever put on a dress, it reminds me of those times now and then I feel horrible.'

Maarten didn't know how to react. Søren had just revealed one of those dirty little secrets everyone has and he simply didn't know how to react on that in a proper way. He did, what he thought what was best. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's hips and held him tight, giving him a little kiss behind his right ear. He only let him go at the moment he felt light sobs going through Søren's body. Søren had never cried in his presence before. For a second he looked at the slender boy in front of him.

'I-I am sorry for this. I shouldn't be so emotional about it.' Søren said through his sobs and tears.

Maarten wiped his tears away with his left thumb and kiss him on his cheek. He hung both his hands around the Norwegian's shoulders and bowed his head so their foreheads touched each other.

'There is nothing to be sorry about.' They sat like this for a few minutes and Søren was slowly calming down again, laying his hands on Maarten's hands. He sighed. Maarten wrapped his arms around him again and held him on his lap.

'Do you want me to make something for you? Coffee?'

Coffee would always cheer up the Norwegian. And so it did. Søren smiled through his tears and sniffed, wiping his tears away with his sleeve. 'Yes please, I will put away the photos and then I will follow you to the living room.'

That sounded like a good idea to Maarten, Søren needed to get his head out of the memories and staying here watching pictures wouldn't help with that. 'Ok, I'll see you in a minute.' He kissed him on the lips and stood up to to go to the kitchen.

'Maarten?'

Maarten turned around. 'Yes, dear?'

'Thank you.'

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It was eight past five when Søren opened the front door. It had been a normal day on work, nothing special. He walked into the hallway to put off his coat, and stowed his briefcase in the corner.

When he was making coffee he noticed a letter on the table. It probably was from Maarten, explaining where he was. On fridays he would usually already go home early, so it was remarkable that he wasn't home already. When the coffee machine was rattling he went over to the table and took the note.

'I am at François' house, will stay there for a few hours. You received a package, I put it on your bed. Maarten', he read out loud.

Hmm, usually Maarten would tell him his plans a little earlier, it was not his style to make last minute plans. On the other hand, François was such a type so he probably had one of his dubious ideas and decided to call Maarten to join him. Søren thought it was a bit annoying that he hadn't written if he would be having diner with him too, now he didn't know for how many he had to cook. He expected that Maarten eat there as well, since François was well-known for his cooking abilities.

When his coffee was ready he went upstairs to see the package. Why did Maarten put it on his bed? He could have left it in the kitchen.

It was then he saw the saw the box on their bed. It was a dark purple box with a golden ribbon around it, it had a square form of around half a meter and it seemed to be 10 centimeters high. When he walked towards it he saw that something was scribbled on it. 'Søren' it said. He sat himself on the bed and cut the ribbon open with a sharp fingernail. When opened the box he saw some clothing that he could not recognize immediately, and another note. He took the note and read:

_Dear Søren,_

_I hope this will comply with your wish for elegance._

_You have until 7 o'clock. _

_I will bring dinner when I come home._

_Greetings,_

_Maarten_

He laid the note on the bed and took the clothing out of the box. It unfolded as he kept it in his hands, revealing a dark blue silk dress with a black ribbon in the middle. The ribbon had a black fringe with a sewn print on it. The skirt had the same fringe, just as the sleeves and collar that led to the shoulders and back. All in all it looked quite modest and he loved it that way. He held it in front of him by the window and saw the silk shine in the daylight. He looked over at the note and thought about Maarten's plans. Maarten sent him this dress for a certain reason, to make Søren feel elegant again. The thought made him both feel thankful and a bit ashamed. It was not the dress itself that was the problem, it was the point of today's standards for men and how he would infringe them all again. He thought about the picture that Maarten had seen a couple of weeks ago which was in all probability the reason why he got him this dress.

He quickly took off his dress shirt and trousers and put on the dress. He had a bit of a problem with the zipper on the back, but it was solved quickly, since Søren was quite flexible with his body. He wondered how Maarten had managed to get the right size, it fitted perfectly with his body sizes. It must have been made especially for him, how many shops would you have that sell evening dresses for men? He walked a few steps and swirled around the bedroom to feel the silk around his legs and see it swirl in the air. He felt a certain feeling of freedom that he thought to have given up long ago. He stood still and let his hands caress his chest and hips. Maarten would be the first person to see him in a dress in years, maybe even decades. Though, the fact that exactly Maarten was the person who gave him this dress was a sign that he would not have to feel embarrassed, like he used to feel when being caught in a dress. Maarten told him that he wouldn't have any problem with it, and this was his way to prove so. He felt the same feeling of relieve as he had felt when showing Maarten the picture. He walked around in dresses and Maarten would still love him, just like Berwald and his mother did. No laughing, no stories, no others to watch them. He closed his eyes and concentrated himself on this feeling of relieve and long lost freedom.

After a few minutes of walking around in the dress he realized that it would be seven o'clock in not so much time anymore. He needed to wash all his stress away and put extra energy in looking at best. Before he walked into the bathroom to take a shower he looked at the wall clock. It was already ten to six, he had to hurry up if he wanted to look splendid.

-xxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx-

/Second Author's Note/

So as you can see I made a bit of a cliffhanger here. Let me know what you think that might happen, maybe I can even get some inspiration out of that ;)

I am also wondering about whether to continue writing longer stories or going back to the shorter ones. The shorter ones are of course complete but the storyline will stay a bit more simple. What do you like best?


	4. The boyfriend and his dress Part 2

/Author's Note/

Holy cr*p, that took long! I didn't really plan to make it take this long, but university was taking all my time with all kinds of essays and stuff, so this story had to move a bit more to the background. But now I had time, so here it is. Finally, part 2!

I hope you enjoy reading it :)

-xxxxXXXXxxxx-

It was five to seven when Maarten arrived home and the house seemed empty. Søren was not in the kitchen or the living room, as he used to be. But this would not be a night as it used to be, and Maarten knew that all too well. He did not plan to look on the first floor for Søren, in stead he put the dinner on the table and closed the door to the kitchen to muffle the sounds. He silently made up the kitchen table to make it look fancy and put on some candles. He took the bottle of french wine and put in on the table. He owed François almost this whole evening for the help he gave him. The frenchman with who he stayed after work was particularly good in being a gentleman and teaching others how to be it too. He made the dinner, since he was a brilliant cook and gave him a few bottles of one of his precious wines. 'A bit of wine will help when it comes to l'amour.' was what he said while winking with his right eye. Heck, he even decided which suit Maarten would wear and helped him with the tie. When Maarten left him to go home, François said goodbye with the following words: 'If I wouldn't know to whom you were going tonight, I would have taken you here right away.' The Dutchman didn't know if this made him feel confident about his appearance or slightly frightened.

At five past seven he was ready with decorating the table and opened the door to the hallway. He walked to the stairs and waited there, looking up to find his Norwegian boyfriend waiting on the first floor. When Maarten saw him gracefully taking the steps downwards he was glad he had already seen the dress before. If not, then maybe his mouth would have been hanging open now. Søren looked magnificent, the dress fitted him perfectly. Maarten could see that he took some time to make himself look at best, his hair looked thoroughly brushed and the left side of his hair was neatly held firm with a cross-like clip. He knew that Søren would only wear this clip on very special occasions, and it made him feel flattered that Søren saw this as one. When Søren was downstairs, he took his right hand and brought it to his face. He looked Søren in the eyes while kissing the back of his hand.

'Good evening, my dear.'

'Good evening', was Søren's reply. 'Thank you for the wonderful dress.'

'It is my pleasure.' Maarten let his eyes take up Søren's full appearance. 'You look magnificent.'

Søren gave a light smile on that comment and bended his knees a little.

'Let's go have dinner.' Maarten led him to the kitchen and held the door open for him. Søren gave a nod of approval when he saw the kitchen table. Maarten held the chair back for him and let him sit before shoving it back. He went to the refrigerator and took a bottle of wine out of it. He opened it without much force and filled the glasses. Then he sat himself on the other side of the table and gestured to Søren that he should take some of the food.

-xxxxXXXXxxxx-

When they were both finished, Maarten put the pots away in the fridge. There was enough left for the next day so they could eat this tomorrow again. He took the plates and cutlery and placed it in the dishwasher. Then he took another bottle of wine out of the fridge and brought it to the table.

'I assumed you like dry red wine, don't you?'

'Sure I do, let's move to the living room, it's a bit more cozy there.' Søren had a playful grin on his face.

'Hohoho, slow down big boy.' Maarten said with a wink. 'Let's take it easy, I still have other plans with you. We will go to the living room, though.' He laid his right hand on Søren's lower back and guided him to the living room, . Søren took a seat on the comfortable couch and watched how Maarten put on some candlelight. It gave an almost mystic effect to see the furniture overshadowed by the dark. Maarten put on just enough candles to see where they were walking. After that, he walked towards the music player and put on a CD of which Søren couldn't remember having it. Maarten must have bought it for tonight.

The music that came out of the speakers was a slow, rhythmic and tempting. Maarten turned around and saw Søren sitting on the couch with a neutral look on his face. He slowly walked over towards Søren and kneeled before him. lying his right hand on Søren's left knee and rubbing the skin through the fabric with his thumb. Søren put his hands on the edge of the couch and leaned forward, reaching Maarten's face with his own. The kiss was slow, just like the music. Maarten used his left hand to brush through Søren's hair, while Søren had put his left hand on top of Maarten's on his knee. Maarten slowly broke the kiss, looking Søren in the eyes.

'May I have this dance?' He held out his hand as an invitation.

Søren stood up, and laid his arms in Maarten's. Maarten pulled him closer, placing his large hand on Søren's lower back and holding his right hand in his own.

_'Laten we dansen, mijn liefste. Dansen aan zee._

_Laten we dansen, mijn liefste. Dansen aan de zee._

_Afscheidswals aan de waterlijn._

_Dansen aan zee.'_

They slowly swirled around the room. Søren could not understand what was sung, but he recognized the Dutch language. It probably was about dancing, since the word that was sung quite often, reminded him of the Norwegian 'danse'. When the song ended, and song with a rhythm that was a little faster, a song that invited him to dance a bit more energetic.

Søren pulled at Maarten's hand and he got the hint, following Søren in his dancing rhythm. The danced the waltz and every time Søren made a turn or swirled around, his dress creeped up in the air. He hadn't felt so pretty in a long time. However, soon they got a bit out of breath and Maarten led them back to the couch. He opened the bottle of wine and poured some in two glasses.

'So,' Maarten said, 'do you come here often?'

Søren giggled and pretended that he was thinking. 'Hmm, I guess so. Does everyday after work count as often?'

'Hmm quite.' Maarten hummed and handed him over his glass.

They toasted and Maarten sat back, letting his head rest on the couch. Søren was observing him, from the way the strings on his shoes were snared in a bow-like manner to the scar on the left side of his forehead and how he always managed to style his hair in such a way that it loosely fell over it, hiding it from curious people.

Do you like what you see? Maarten looked at him with a defiant smirk.

Søren was so absorbed in looking at details in Maarten's appearance that he didn't even realize Maarten was staring at him too. He felt a little self-conscious and turned his gaze away. It is not polite to openly stare at people, his mother had taught him.

Maarten stood up, and went to the music player. He put on a song that sounded quite calm and sentimental and tugged at Søren's sleeve. He rose and followed Maarten to the middle of the living room. They danced again, but this time it was a little different, slower and more intimate. Maarten had his hands on Søren's hips, slowly rubbing them and sometimes roaming a little to end on the Norwegian's ass.

After a few minutes of dancing Søren looked up and saw that Maarten was staring into the dark, lost in thought. He caught Søren looking at him, and smiled. Søren came a little closer and rested his head on the Dutchman's chest. Maarten gave him a slow kiss on the top of his head. They almost stopped dancing, now moving slowly around the room while feeling the other's body pressed against their own. Maarten's hands started to roam a little more around his boyfriend's body. Søren took this as an invitation and lightly pulled his tie, telling him to lower his head. Said Dutchman did so, and looking at him expectantly. Søren locked his lips with the Dutchman, using his left hand to lightly tug at Maarten's hair. The hands on his ass were now grasping him tighter than they did before, slowly kneading it. Søren pulled pulled up his leg, rubbing with his knee against the inner tights of the taller man. Maarten used this opportunity to pull him up a little and spread his legs. They soon realized that Søren wouldn't be able to hold onto Maarten's hips with his legs as the often did, due to the dress, and Maarten placed him back on the ground again.

'What do we do now? How will I ever seduce you without being able to carry you to our bed?' Maarten asked him with a wink.

'Is that necessary, I guess I might be willing enough already.' Søren turned around and swayed his hips while walking back to the couch. He enjoyed the thought that Maarten was now probably looking at him. He sat himself on the couch and put on his most lascivious face. He shook off his shoe with a swift move and placed it on the couch. If it weren't for the dress, then Maarten would be able to look all the way up to a Norwegian crotch now.

Maarten walked up to the couch and sat himself next to his boyfriend. He laid his arm on the upper side of the couch around Søren and leaned towards him.

'Did you have any plans for tonight?' He whispered slowly in Søren's ear. Feeling Maarten's breath tickling his ear gave him goosebumps. He turned his face towards his boyfriend and brought his right hand to the ash-blond's face, faintly caressing it.

'Not yet, I hoped you could come up with ideas to occupy me for tonight.' Søren smiled seductively.

'Oh yes, you will be occupied tonight, don't worry about that.' Maarten smiled and growled softly.

He brought his face to Søren's and kissed him, this time a bit more lustful than before. Søren gasped in the kiss and moaned softly. Maarten asked for admittance by biting softly on his lower lip, something he gained quite easily. Hands of both owners were roaming all over their bodies. Maarten's hands were mostly busy with trying to get under Søren's skirt while Søren was pulling the other's hair again. After a few seconds, Maarten moved his lips following the Norwegian's jawline, ending with his earlobe. He licked, nibbled and played with his ear until he felt his boyfriend tremble under his actions. He moved over to his neck, his shoulders and left a trail of kisses all over. He heard Søren hiss lightly when he bit his neck.

'Come on and take me already!' Søren's voice was filled with lust, making his voice slightly lower. It excited the Dutchman at the scarce moments he heard this.

'You want to be taken so badly? Well then, show me something of yourself.' Maarten growled against the Norwegian's neck, licking and biting the soft flesh.

He sat backwards again, balancing himself so he could both hands to undress his boyfriend. He looked him in the eyes, dark blue locking with turquoise. Søren moved a little bit to make more space and Maarten slowly slid the collar of his dress off his shoulders. The dress revealed soft and white skin that looked like it was begging to be touched. He happily complied, using his teeth to help his hands and leaving small bite marks where he went with his mouth. Søren threw his head back and closed his eyes, taking in all of the sensations and tried to control his breathing. He moved a little so that Maarten had enough space to open the zipper on his back. When the piece of clothing was fully opened, the smaller man shifted his arms a little so that they were free again, and hung them around Maarten's neck. The dress was now lying loosely on his lap, exposing his bare chest.

'Would you like to help me getting out of this wonderful dress?' He looked at Maarten with puppy-eyes. Said man kissed him and moved so that he was standing with both feet back on the ground, to stabilize himself. He used one hand to lean on the couch, and the other, to help Søren getting out of his clothing. Søren hung himself under Maarten, using his left hand around the Dutchman's neck to lift himself off the couch, and his right hand to slid the dress off his legs.

There he lied on the couch, fully naked, watching his boyfriend leaning over him and taking in his appearance. It made him feel slightly self-conscious and vulnerable to lie there naked while his boyfriend was still fully clothed but in some way it turned him on to see Maarten's gaze roaming all over his body. He decided to push his luck a little further and started to caress himself on his chest while looking Maarten straight in the eyes. he slowly went a bit lower until he was stroking his own hips.

'Being a bit exhibitionistic?' Maarten slowly sat himself on the ground, leaning with his head on his arms on the couch.

'Hmm, you like it?'

'I'd be a liar if I said I didn't'

This gave Søren the courage to go on. he moved his hands around his hips, getting closer to more intimate areas of his body. Maarten started to caress his tights, helping him getting turned on by what was happening. It seemed to be working, because Søren could see his manhood grow every second. Maarten looked at it defiantly, and licked his lips.

'Are you going to do something with that over there or should I take care of it?'

'No, I started it so I will finish this too.' It actually was really exciting to do this, Søren found out. He was now really enjoying it.

'Hmm we'll see about that, I'll see how long I can keep myself down here.'

'Let's not prolong this any further then.' Søren caress his own manhood, now fully erect. With one hand he caressed himself, while using the other to jerk himself off. Maarten was now rhythmically stroking his legs and kissing his tights. He whispered soft words that Søren couldn't understand, but sounded tempting anyway.

The sensations, together with Maarten touching and watching him, was getting overwhelming. He moaned loudly and closed his eyes, arching his back.

Then he felt a big hand on his own, stopping him abrupt in his actions. He opened his eyes, afraid he might have done something wrong. He saw Maarten sitting between his legs, looking at him with a smirk that betrayed his intentions. Maarten pulled his hand away from his manhood and brought his face closer to it. He stuck his tongue out and licked the tip. It felt somewhat ticklish, but the feelings of pleasure were overpowering those and he closed his eyes again, letting Maarten take over the lead. With one gulp he took Søren all in, earning a wanton moan from the Norwegian.

Maarten licked, sucked, nibbled and hummed at Søren's manhood. It was clear to Søren that this wasn't the first time he had ever done this. They'd been having a relationship for some time now, but Maarten had always seemed the one that was more experienced with men. It could also be that his straightforward way of acting made him seem more experienced than he actually was. Søren would probably never know this, and it wasn't important at al. Not now, especially, since his head was cleared from every thought he ever had, Maarten consuming him whole. Søren was thankful for his apparent experience now he lied there, squirming and moaning. It wouldn't take long anymore until he would come to his climax, he knew.

And so he finally came, arching his back again and releasing his sperm while gripping the couch with sweaty hands. He threw his head back, panting loudly and letting a moan slip through every few breaths.

Maarten sucked him off until the very end so that he would not drip on their pristine couch. After a few minutes, when Søren had regained his breath, he stood up and sat beside him.

'So, would you let me carry you to our bedroom to spend the night there?'

'If by spending the night, you mean actions like these, then I am more than happy to comply with all of your plans for tonight.'

Maarten smiled, thinking about what was about to happen. This was going to be a night to remember.

-xxxxXXXXxxxx-

/Second Author's Note/

So, this was my first attempt at writing something more uhm...mature. I didn't really plan on writing smut but at some point the story led that way and it seemed quite fitting, or something like that. It was quite an experiment and I wanted to write it explicit, but still somewhat stylish. I really hope I wrote it well, I have no idea whether it is good enough or something is wrong with it. If so, let me know! (and if you like it, then let me know as well! :P)

The song that is being used in the story is made by Bløf, called 'Dansen aan zee'. You can find it on youtube, check it out! The clip even looks somewhat viking-ish. It's Dutch, though. Perfect song for NethNor, so I thought ;)


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